“I'm home!”

The moment I opened the front door, the delicious smell of dinner drifted toward me.

“Wow, that smells good! What's for dinner tonight?”

I headed toward the kitchen as I spoke.

“You're a little late today. Is everything okay? I tried calling you a few times...”

Mom asked, looking worried.

“Oh, sorry. I had my phone turned off, so I didn't notice. Actually, I stopped by the art club today. You remember Yano-senpai, right? The guy who was at the reception desk during the entrance ceremony...”

“Oh, the art club president. The rather handsome boy, right?”

As expected, Mom never missed a thing.

“Well, whether he's handsome or not isn't really the point. Anyway, Yano-senpai invited me, so I went to check out the art club today.”

I set my bag down on the table as I spoke.

“So? How was it?”

“That's the thing! Listen. Remember about two years ago, when I went to that high school student art exhibition? I told you there was this painting I absolutely loved...”

“Oh! The one you insisted you wanted to buy. I remember that very well. You made such a fuss about it that I had no idea what I was going to do with you.”

“Yeah! That one!”

I leaned forward excitedly.

“It turns out Yano-senpai was the one who painted it! And you know what? He's just like that painting. He's such a warm-hearted person... Isn't it amazing that something like this could happen by coincidence?”

“That really is an incredible coincidence.”

Mom nodded, looking genuinely surprised.

So I decided to finally ask him.

“Mom... I really do want to join the art club.”

My biggest concern was my heat.

I'd never had one before, which meant I had no idea what my cycle would be like.

I had absolutely no way of knowing when—or where—my first heat might suddenly strike.

That was why I'd already decided that until my first heat came, I would limit myself to going back and forth between school and home.

I'd done the same thing in middle school.

Even when I went out somewhere, I always tried to stay close to home.

“But Kaname... you still haven't had your first heat...”

Just as I'd expected, Mom's expression clouded with concern.

“I know. But I talked with Yano-senpai about a lot of things today. He's really understanding when it comes to secondary genders. No matter what someone's secondary gender is, he treats them sincerely and without prejudice.”

I continued earnestly, wanting Mom to understand.

“I've only met him two or three times, and we haven't even talked for that long, but... I think I can trust him. I feel like if something ever happened, he'd be someone I could turn to for advice.”

“Do you know what his secondary gender is?”

“Yeah. He told me he's an alpha.”

Mom's expression immediately became even more serious.

“That's exactly what makes this so dangerous. What would you do if your heat started while you were with Yano-kun? It wouldn't affect only you. You could end up dragging him into it too.”

As an omega himself, Mom was far more realistic about this than I was—and much stricter.

“It'll be okay. I always keep suppressants in my bag and in my inside pocket, so I can get to them right away. And if I feel even slightly different from usual, I'll take one immediately.”

I desperately tried to convince him.

But Mom shook his head.

“Kaname, a heat really can come without any warning. If it suddenly hits you, dealing with it by yourself is much harder than you think. And if the suppressants you're carrying don't work... you could end up in serious trouble.”

Mom wasn't giving in easily.

But this was one thing I didn't want to give up on either.

“Then that's even more reason.”

“What do you mean?”

“If I explain everything to Yano-senpai beforehand and make sure he understands... then if something does happen, maybe he can help me.”

I hesitated for a moment.

“I... I want to enjoy my high school years to the fullest.”

Just because my heat might come.

Just because I was an omega.

I didn't want those things to be the reason I had to give up everything I wanted to do.

Mom stared at me for a while before finally letting out a small sigh.

“...All right. Then I'd like to talk to Yano-kun myself. Why don't you invite him over sometime?”

“Really?!”

I was so happy that I threw my arms around him.

“Thank you, Mom! I love you!”

I kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly.

“Ha ha, thank you. I love you very much too, Kaname.”

Mom smiled and hugged me even tighter.

“Oh, that reminds me. It sounds like Yano-senpai really loves you, Mom.”

“What do you mean?”

“He's a huge fan of Yuu Kisaragi, the violinist. Although... the way he talks about you, he seems less like a fan and more like a boy with a crush on you.”

The moment those words left my mouth—

“Hey! That's a problem! Yuu-kun is mine!”

Dad suddenly appeared.

Then he planted a kiss on Mom's cheek.

“Good morning!”

“Huh? Dad, you were home?”

“Yeah. I'm not going into the studio until tonight, so I just woke up. Wait, never mind that! Did you say there's some boy who's in love with Yuu-kun?”

Apparently, he'd been listening to our conversation from somewhere.

“I wouldn't exactly say he's in love with him... I think it's more like admiration. You remember the upperclassman who was at the reception desk during the entrance ceremony? The art club president?”

“Oh! That handsome kid!”

Apparently, Dad remembered him the same way Mom did.

“Okay, yes, he's handsome, but that's not the point right now. Anyway, he's a huge fan of Mom.”

Dad folded his arms and nodded thoughtfully.

“Well, Yuu-kun is cool and beautiful, so I can't exactly blame a young man for admiring him. So, what about this boy?”

“I'm thinking about joining the art club. Mom and I were just talking about how Yano-senpai might be someone I could turn to if I ever needed help.”

The moment I said that—

“Club activities?! Absolutely not!”

Just as expected, Dad's voice boomed through the room.

“That's way too dangerous! What if something happens to my precious Kaname?!”

...He was as overprotective as ever.

Mom glanced at me as if to say,

Leave this to me.

Then he made a little shooing motion with his hand.

“Okay! I'll go change and get ready for dinner!”

With that, I quickly escaped to my room.

Even after I closed the door, I could still hear Mom and Dad murmuring about something on the other side.

As I changed out of my uniform, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Why haven't I had my first heat yet?

Mom had told me that his heat hadn't started until he met Dad.

So maybe it was hereditary.

But so far, I'd never met anyone who truly made my heart stir.

If I had to name someone...

Maybe Yano-senpai.

For the first time, I felt like I'd met someone I could let my guard down around.

Being with him made me feel strangely at ease.

Comfortable.

Tomorrow, I'd go see him again so I could invite him to our house.

Just thinking about it made me feel excited.

I wanted to know more about him.

What kind of person he was.

What he thought about when he painted something like that.

Yeah.

I'm sure I'll be fine with him.

I'm sure Mom and Dad will like him too.

Holding on to that completely unfounded sense of reassurance,

I hurried toward the dining room, where dinner was waiting.